By Aram Tolegian Staff Writer
There’s only one way to find out.
That’s the truth, isn’t it? And the truth is what football’s all about, right? You train hard, you study hard and then you take it all out to the field where the truth is discovered under the lights in front of everyone.
The truth can hurt. It can be downright brutal. Finding out that your hard work — from January to August — didn’t pay off hurts. (To continue, click thread).
But there’s glory in the truth, too. And glory is what every local player is seeking when he dons his school’s colors to do battle with anyone in his path.
Just ask Charter Oak or San Dimas after last year’s 14th game.
Just ask Bishop Amat after last year’s St. Bonaventure thriller.
Just ask Baldwin Park linebacker Wardell Crutchfield III after he committed to UTEP. Just ask Glendora quarterback Chad Jeffries after he said yes to San Diego State.
But here’s the thing, we don’t know the truth about this season at this time. That’s about to unfold over the next 10 weeks.
The CIF seems to think the truth is that Charter Oak and South Hills not only belong in a more difficult league, but a considerably higher division as well.
The Chargers and Huskies have been two of the area’s best programs for quite some time, but they’ll be tested like never before against schools with much higher enrollments.
Judging by both team’s rosters, they look to be up to the challenge. But again, the truth will be found on the field.
With Charter Oak gone from the Southeast Division, Diamond Ranch should be all clear to get coach Roddy Layton a CIF title. I mean, after all the truth is that Charter Oak was all that kept the Panthers from being back-to-back champs themselves, right? Well, it’s probably not that easy.
Diamond Ranch is out of the now-dissolved Miramonte League and into the resurrected Hacienda League. Trouble is, things didn’t get that much easier. Just to make the playoffs, Layton’s boys will have to get through a loaded West Covina team, Rowland and Bonita, to name a few.
Once into the playoffs, whichever Hacienda teams fortunate enough to make the dance may have to deal with La Mirada, which as a member of the Suburban League has joined the Southeast Division.
Change didn’t miss the Mid-Valley Division, either. The CIF thinks the Almont League, which boasts six of the seven highest enrollments in the Mid-Valley Division, is a perfect fit to be paired with the Rio Hondo, Mission Valley, Montview, Valle Vista and Olympic leagues.
That means things just got harder for San Dimas to repeat as champion, but it seems the truth is that most pundits agree that the Saints look like the Valley’s best bet to win a 14th game.
And what about the rest of the division? Well, it’s
It used to be that finishing third was good enough, but now that there’s six leagues crammed into one division, the only guarantees are for second place. That means several teams will be polishing their cases as early as, oh, Week 1.
And that brings us to Bishop Amat. The truth, as we now know it, is that most Lancers fans feel their beloved team is well on its way to a resurgence.
Who can blame them? Year 2 of the Steve Hagerty era produced victories over Southland powers St. Bonaventure and Notre Dame. Amat earned a share of the Serra League title, but was out of the playoffs in the second round.
The momentum carried over to the offseason, with Amat getting transfers from Los Altos and South Hills to further bolster its already impressive roster.
Now comes the much-anticipated debut of 16-year-old junior Rio Ruiz at quarterback. Not only that, Amat will also unveil Glendora transfer Wallace Gonzalez at wide receiver. Expectations haven’t been this high around the La Puente campus in a long time.
Expectations are somewhat mixed at Los Altos, where coach Jim Arellanes was hired in the offseason to turn around one of the area’s most storied programs. Arellanes has his work cut out for him and the Conquerors’ faithful aren’t exactly known for their patience.
Patience is what they’ll be asked to exhibit at Damien, where coach Greg Gano enters his second season. Gano’s first go-around with Sparty produced mix results. The Spartans went 5-6, but did earn a share of the Sierra League title. With so many new faces on the roster, the powerhouse that Damien fans expect under Gano may not surface this season.
There is one already established truth before any game has been played, and that’s the Valley experienced one of its most eventful offseasons in history. What’s it all mean? Like I said, it’s football and there’s only one way to find out.
